Thanksgiving Dinner
by DizzyRedhead
Summary: So, as the title says, this is a COD Thanksgiving dinner. Complete with Natara, Mal, Neha, Amy, Raj, Anita, and of course Kai, as well as two of my own characters. And I know I'm notorious for short stories, but this is over 1,000 words. May or may not be continued based on reader suggestions and desires.


Natara scurried around the kitchen, attempting to complete about six different tasks at once. In her left arm was her screaming four month old, Joshua, whom she was gently bouncing up in down in a futile attempt to quiet. In her other hand, she held a wooden spoon which she was using to stir the vegetables in the pan in front of her. Finally letting go of any hope to calm Joshua, Natara placed him in his high-chair and tried to tune out the wailing.

About an hour ago, she had sent Mal out to pick up diapers. He had not returned yet, and she suspected that he had done so purposefully to avoid cooking for the meal that they would be hosting later that night. And he was in trouble for doing so. She picked up the phone and dialed his number.

"Hello?"

"Mal, having trouble finding those diapers?"

"Nat, you've gotta believe me-"

"Save it, Mal. Did you ask Blaise if she could make it tonight?"

"She couldn't, she having Thanksgiving with her mom. But Redbird, Amy, and. . . Oh God, Kai can make it."

"Mal, be nice. Remember, my parents and Neha and her new boyfriend are coming."

"Neha has _another_ new boyfriend?"

"She's been really excited to introduce him to us, so he has to be a good guy to some degree," She added.

"Let's hope. I'll be back soon, okay? Love you, Nat."

"Love you too." She then hung up, sighing at the amount of cooking left to do. The oven held the turkey, now in its second hour of cooking. She still had to start cooking the sweet potatoes, the cranberry sauce-which at this point would have to be from a can, and the pie or whatever desert she could throw together. Granted, she wasn't the world's best cook, but she undoubtedly superior to Mal, Blaise, Redbird, and definitely Kai. Amy's cooking wasn't half-bad, but Amy's apartment was too small to hold the Thanksgiving meal. But today, everything had to be perfect, as she needed to impress her parents.

Fifteen minutes later, her knight in shining armor had returned. He put the baby down for a nap and proceeded to assist in what was now the somewhat humorous attempt to finish cooking the meal. The time until the meal quickly passed, and at six o'clock, Natara's parents arrived. Natara had forgotten that her parents had a tendency to be early to everything they did. The turkey had to cook for another half hour, and the table was still not set. Additionally, Joshua was still napping and needed to be retrieved. Natara's mother made herself of use and kept watch over the baby. Mal observed a hint of jealousy in Natara's eyes towards her mother's effortless ability to keep the bouncing boy content and quiet.

Mal and Raj proceeded to set the table. Conversation between the two did not easily ignite. When it did, it was quickly relayed to guns and swords. Redbird showed up, and then Amy arrived next, with a bottle of wine sporting a red ribbon around its neck. She coddled Joshua; to her he was the cutest little thing in the world. She wasn't far off either; Joshua had deep blue eyes exactly like his father's, his hair was that of his mother, and his skin was a balance between Natara's olive tone and Mal's fair pigment. He was quite the beautiful baby. He had his mother's intelligence, and his father's wit. And to the surprise and horror of both of them, his father's knack for trouble. Just the week before, the infant had pulled on Kai's hair to the point where Kai was almost crying and begging Natara to "Make him stop, make him stop!"

Just when Natara was taking the turkey out of the oven, Kai arrived. Both Mal and Raj looked 'slightly' put off.

"Hey, guys! Happy Thanksgiving!" He exclaimed as he waltzed into the kitchen.

"Hey, did you guys know that the heaviest turkey ever raised weighed eighty-six pounds, about the size of a large dog? But don't worry, turkey meat usually tastes better than dog meat."

"Kai! Don't say things like that!" Amy scolded.

"Why, what was wrong with it?" Kai looked utterly dumbfounded.

"Did you guys know that approximately forty-six million turkeys are eaten every Thanksgiving? That's about one slaughtered bird for every seven people!"

"Kai!"

"What?"

* * *

"Neha's late." Natara said flatly.

"Trying to put this diplomatically…." Began Mal, "But are we surprised?"

"No." Interrupted Raj. Natara dialed the number of her younger sister, and then patiently waited for a reply. On the third ring, she answered.

"Oh, hi Nat! Listen, me and Spencer won't be there for another half an hour, so just start eating without us!" She jabbered without even waiting for Natara's question.

"We can wait," She began, before she realized that her sister had already hung up.

"What'd she say?" Asked Amy, whose focus was still locked on the baby.

"They're gonna be late."

"So…can we start eating now?" Pleaded Kai with wide puppy-dog like eyes.

"Yeah…can we?" This was perhaps the first time Mal was in agreement with the long-haired lab tech.

"No," Natara responded firmly.

"Yeah, I have to agree with Natara, it's pretty rude to start eating without them here," Amy conferred.

"Well, it's rather rude to be late," Raj pouted.

"Oh, don't tell me you agree with Malachi and Kai," Anita added.

"Of course he does!" Kai said, a bit too loudly.

"No," repeated Natara and Anita, in union.

"Our wives…" muttered Raj under his breath.

"What, Dad?" Natara shot back.

"Nothing, sweetheart."

"So you're as scared of her as I am, huh?" Mal asked his father-in-law.

"Indeed."

After thirty minutes of complaining from the men and protests from the women, Neha and Spencer arrived.

"Finally!" Exclaimed Kai, startling the baby, who then began to cry again. Anita cradled the child in her arms, rocking him until the sobbing dispersed. Natara studied her sister's new boyfriend, a tall, blond-haired, green-eyed twenty-something. He wore nice jeans and a tweed coat.

"Hello," he spoke with a smooth Irish accent. The group proceeded to the table, and Jeremy pulled the high chair in-between Natara and Mals' chairs. Once they were all seated and everyone had a decent amount of food on their plates, Neha cleared her throat and began to speak.

"Guys, Spencer and I have an announcement." She waited until everyone was looking at her, and then said "We're engaged."

**I can't say I'm 100% proud of this, but here it is. I'll continue if anyone wants me to. Happy Thanksgiving to anyone celebrating it! Or not celebrating it, I don't descriminate. :) **

**Review Replies for "Nostalgia"**

**Guest: I'll assume that was a compliment ;) thanks**

**Katlana Child: Thank you so much, it's always heartwarming and encouraging to read such a kind review :)**

**AbbzCadabbz22: Thanks. I do hope you'll forgive me for writing in a sad demeanor ;) :)**

**HeyimAngel: Thanks a bunch!**

**The Beautiful Filth: I have to say, this was quite possibly the kindest and most encouraging review I have ever recieved. (Not that the rest of you aren't all AMAZING reviewers!) But this review really touched my heart. And don't worry about length, you could post a novel as a review and I promise I would read every word of it. **


End file.
